1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method and apparatus, such as a color printer, a color copier, a color facsimile machine, and a complex machine thereof, and more particularly to an image forming method and apparatus allowing convenient replacement of members included in the image forming apparatus, such as developer containers.
This application claims priority to Japanese patent application no. 2004-335298 filed on Nov. 19, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, color image forming apparatuses according to an electrographic method for forming a color image on a recording medium, such as a sheet and a film, have been widely used. This type of color image forming apparatus is increasingly used as a printer, for example, in connection with a personal computer. That is, the color image forming apparatus is increasingly personalized. For convenience, a user of such color image forming apparatus often prefers to place the color image forming apparatus close to the user's working space. In this case, it is preferable to reduce the height of the color image forming apparatus for enhancing the user's working efficiency, and to downsize the color image forming apparatus (e.g., reduce the width of the color image forming apparatus) for saving space. Further, from the viewpoint of personalization of the color image forming apparatus and reduction in maintenance cost of the color image forming apparatus, it is desirable for users that the color image forming apparatus is designed to be easy to perform replacement and maintenance works of consumable components, such as a toner which serves as a developer (i.e., development agent).
In this type of color image forming apparatus, a color image is generally formed by using toners of four colors as the developers. The color image forming apparatus, therefore, includes a larger number of components than a monochrome image forming apparatus and thus tends to be larger in size. Further, a per-unit-time number of recording mediums output from the color image forming apparatus (i.e., a color printing speed) tends to be reduced. In light of the above, there is a tandem-type color image forming apparatus in which a plurality of photoconductors are placed in a line and provided with a corresponding plurality of development devices in their vicinity. Thus configured, the tandem-type color image forming apparatus forms a plurality of single-color toner images on the respective plurality of photoconductors and sequentially transfers the plurality of single-color toner images onto a recording medium.
The tandem-type color image forming apparatus generally consumes a relatively large amount of toner. In view of a user's working efficiency, it is preferable to separately provide a development device from a developer supplying unit which supplies toner to the development device, rather than integrating the development device with the developer supplying unit within a cartridge. Further, in some of the tandem-type color image forming apparatuses, recording mediums on which color images have been formed are discharged to and stacked on an upper portion of such color tandem-type image forming apparatuses to save space.
The tandem-type color image forming apparatuses are, however, still open to further improvements in terms of usability thereof.
For example, the tandem-type color image forming apparatuses need to have a plurality of developer-storing containers (i.e., toner bottles) for a corresponding plurality of toner colors.
If these toner bottles can be checked by visual examination, the user's working efficiency is expected to increase. In a background color image forming apparatus, for example, a plurality of toner bottles are placed in a line such that a lateral direction of the plurality of toner bottles is perpendicular to a direction of discharging recording mediums, i.e., the respective toner bottles of four colors are sequentially placed along the direction of discharging the recording mediums.
However, placement of the toner bottles and display on an operation panel of background color image forming apparatuses seem not to be sufficiently based on usability for users who are unfamiliar to structures of the background image forming apparatuses, replacement works of components included in the background image forming apparatuses, and so forth. Under such circumstances, some users find it complicated and thus are reluctant to personally check the toner bottles and perform the replacement for such components.